Friday, April 14, 2006

Thirteen Generals Comment

Six, no Seven, no Eight, no Nine, make that

Ten, no eleven, uh twelve, thirteen Generals SpeakSome of these guys would probably take issue with me on a number of issues, but I think they agree with me that the Bush Pentagon has done a poor job. Hear some excerpts of their words.

“More than half the American people now believe that the invasion of Iraq was a mistake. They’re right.”- General Wesley Clark

“They [Bush’s Pentagon team] only need the military advice when it satisfies their agenda.”- Lt. General John Riggs

“The military… has been politicized. If officers disagree, they are ostracized and their reputations are ruined.”- Lt. General Jay M. Garner

"The cost of flawed leadership continues to be paid in blood."- Lt. General Greg Newbold

"I feel he [Rumsfeld] has micromanaged the generals who are leading our forces"

- Major General Charles H Swannack Jr

"I believe we need a fresh start in the Pentagon. We need a leader who understands team work, a leader who knows how to build teams, a leader that does it without intimidation. A leader that conforms and practices the letter and the law of the Goldwater-Nichols Act." - Major General John Batiste

"[Rumsfeld] has shown himself incompetent strategically, operationally and tactically...he must step down." - Major General Paul Eaton

“There has been poor strategic thinking in this, there has been poor operational planning and execution on the ground. And to think that we are going to ‘stay the course,’ the course is headed over Niagara Falls. I think it's time to change course a little bit, or at least hold somebody responsible for putting you on this course. Because it's been a failure.” - General Anthony Zinni

"It takes a significant ground force presence to maintain a safe and secure environment, to ensure that people are fed, that water is disturbed, all the normal responsibilities that go along with administering a situation like this."- General Eric Shinseki

"...we ought to make it our duty to help make the world friendlier for the growth of liberal regimes. You encourage democracy over time, with assistance, and aid, the traditional way. Not how the neocons do it." - Lt. General Brent Scowcroft (and National Security Advisor under Bush, Sr.)

“We are a global nation with global interests, and undermining the credibility of the United Nations does very little to help provide stability and security and safety to the rest of the world, where we have to operate for economic reasons and political reasons.” - General John M. Shalikashvili, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs

"It's scary, okay? Let's face it: There are guys at the Pentagon who have been involved in operational planning for their entire lives, okay? . . . And for this wisdom, acquired during many operations, wars, schools, for that just to be ignored, and in its place have somebody who doesn't have any of that training, is of concern." - General Norman Schwarzkopf

"... who in the government will speak out and openly oppose [adventures like the Iraq war]? My belief is that, having worked with Colin Powell for a number of years, that I feel reasonably certain, without having ever asked him, that he was constantly the voice of caution about much of this military adventurism. And with him gone, it's hard for me to believe—and certainly with the change at CIA—I think the likelihood that you're going to have senior government officials counselling caution—I think anything is possible. I really do. I think it's a frightening prospect. - General Joseph Hoar, former CentComm commander

Are there other generals or admirals whose comments need to be added here?Has any administration in history had this much criticism from so many high-ranking officers?